1. Taking steps to ensure sex workers’ rights READ MORE
2. Covid raised inequalities — by how much? READ MORE

1. Govt’s policy change in public interest outweighs prior commitments to private entities: SC READ MORE
2. The judiciary should have annual performance reports, too READ MORE
3. An anomaly that goes by the name populism READ MORE

1. Power shortages may persist as thermal capacity lags power demand: Report READ MORE
2. Carbon dioxide levels are now comparable to 4 mn years ago READ MORE
3. Bonn Climate Conference begins with tense stand-off on ‘Loss and Damage’ READ MORE
4. Climate change victim: How high temperatures, drought have endangered this Kalahari bird READ MORE
5. Chilika lake has 176 fishing cats, survey reveals READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. A ‘silver’ moment to propel a Bay of Bengal dream READ MORE
2. Chilika lake has 176 fishing cats, survey reveals READ MORE
3. What are the precision guided rocket systems being supplied to Ukraine? READ MORE
4. The judiciary should have annual performance reports, too READ MORE
5. Who was Sant Kabir, the extraordinary poet-saint of the Bhakti movement? READ MORE

GS 1

1. Who was Sant Kabir, the extraordinary poet-saint of the Bhakti movement? READ MORE
2. Tamil Nadu sculptures recovered from Australia, US READ MORE

GS 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Govt’s policy change in public interest outweighs prior commitments to private entities: SC READ MORE
2. The judiciary should have annual performance reports, too READ MORE
3. An anomaly that goes by the name populism READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Taking steps to ensure sex workers’ rights READ MORE
2. Covid raised inequalities — by how much? READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. A ‘silver’ moment to propel a Bay of Bengal dream READ MORE

GS 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. India has become more strategic about trade: USTR Tai READ MORE
2. Global economy in grip of headwinds READ MORE
3. India aims to double marine products export to Rs 1 lakh crore in next 5 years READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Power shortages may persist as thermal capacity lags power demand: Report READ MORE
2. Carbon dioxide levels are now comparable to 4 mn years ago READ MORE
3. Bonn Climate Conference begins with tense stand-off on ‘Loss and Damage’ READ MORE
4. Climate change victim: How high temperatures, drought have endangered this Kalahari bird READ MORE
5. Chilika lake has 176 fishing cats, survey reveals READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. The need for digital collaboration READ MORE
2. What are the precision guided rocket systems being supplied to Ukraine? READ MORE

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Mahanaam: Insurance policy for self-realisation READ MORE
2. Unrockable, unshockable READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. A major weakness in the Indian economy is that the growth is not perceived as being sufficiently inclusive for many groups. Critically analyse.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Be calm and move on. Let us be filled with spirituality, with God, with love and with piety, so that there is no room for us to be affected by little, little things.
• Well, there is no denying that global inequality was widened by the pandemic — the rich became richer while millions lost jobs. In fact, a few months ago, the World Inequality Report 2022, prepared by the World Inequality Lab at the Paris School of Economics, also portrayed a grim picture of widened global inequality.

ESSAY TOPIC

• The dark disparity gap between rich and poor

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas on maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

1. 75% of river monitoring stations report heavy metal pollution: Centre for Science and Environment READ MORE
2. Greening India through cooperatives READ MORE
3. Not Just Flora and Fauna, Global Conservation Goals Need To Include Fungi READ MORE
4. World Environment Day: Has the Plastic Waste Crisis Gone Too Far? READ MORE
5. At Current Warming Rates, Hornbills Won’t Be Able to Breed in Kalahari By 2027 READ MORE
6. Explained: What Are Carbon Taxes? READ MORE
7. A city of forests: Is it a distant dream? READ MORE

1. Hate speech hurts the nation and the national interest READ MORE
2. India’s SDG preparedness ranking continues to decline: Report READ MORE
3. People, not courts, shape norms READ MORE

1. Married single: Sologamy can be self-contained rebellion READ MORE
2. Pension system: The old versus the new READ MORE

1. The illusion of time we all live with READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. India achieved 10% ethanol blending target in petrol months ahead of schedule: PM READ MORE
2. World’s first fishing cat census done in Chilika READ MORE
3. Mughal-era finials – their grandeur, architectural traditions READ MORE
4. What is norovirus, the stomach bug that infected two students in Kerala? READ MORE
5. Chinese astronauts enter Tiangong Space Station module after successful launch READ MORE
6. The status of eVTOL: a soon to be reality? READ MORE

GS 1

1. 75% of river monitoring stations report heavy metal pollution: Centre for Science and Environment READ MORE
2. Mughal-era finials – their grandeur, architectural traditions READ MORE

GS 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Hate speech hurts the nation and the national interest READ MORE
2. India’s SDG preparedness ranking continues to decline: Report READ MORE
3. People, not courts, shape norms READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Married single: Sologamy can be self-contained rebellion READ MORE
2. Pension system: The old versus the new READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1.India should keep a watch on Russia changing from equal partner to China to its client state READ MORE

2.Has Military Rule in Myanmar Affected India’s ‘Act East’ Policy? READ MORE

GS 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. 7% growth is India’s best foreign policy strategy: An averagely-performing economy won’t give New Delhi freedom of policy action READ MORE
2. Eat’s not right: The restaurant service charge issue is about an important consumer rights principle READ MORE
3. Entire agri value chain needs credit support READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Greening India through cooperatives READ MORE
2. Not Just Flora and Fauna, Global Conservation Goals Need To Include Fungi READ MORE
3. World Environment Day: Has the Plastic Waste Crisis Gone Too Far? READ MORE
4. At Current Warming Rates, Hornbills Won’t Be Able to Breed in Kalahari By 2027 READ MORE
5. Explained: What Are Carbon Taxes? READ MORE
6. A city of forests: Is it a distant dream? READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Mixed & matched: With first heterologous booster approved, vaccination drive needs a big push READ MORE
2. Injection of Digitisation READ MORE
3. Now, drones can be used to deliver medical supplies, vaccines in India: ICMR guidelines READ MORE

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The illusion of time we all live with READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1.What are electric aircrafts? Explain what new regulations and policy changes does India need to better integrate electric vertical aircraft?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• At present, there are three credit guarantee schemes in India’s agricultural sector. The Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) under the Ministry of Agriculture has a guarantee scheme called Nabsanrakshan, for bank loans to Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), while NABARD had recently introduced a guarantee scheme for loans to Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
• Carbon pricing is an economic tool used to push industries, households and governments to bring down emissions and invest in cleaner options. It helps in shifting the burden of damage caused by pollution onto those responsible for the pollution but does not dictate how or where emissions can be reduced. Instead, it puts an economic value on pollution and allows polluters to decide whether to reduce emissions or continue polluting but pay the price for it.

ESSAY TOPIC

• India’s Act East Policy

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas on maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. INDIA’S SDG PREPAREDNESS RANKING CONTINUES TO DECLINE: REPORT

THE CONTEXT: India is not placed well to achieve the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and its preparedness has worsened over the years in comparison with other countries, a new report showed.

THE EXPLANATION:

• India’s rank in the global Sustainable Development Report, 2022 has slipped for the third consecutive year.
• The country continues to face major challenges in achieving 11 of the 17 SDGs, which has pushed down its global ranking on SDG preparedness.
• The progress in around 10 of these goals is similar to those in 2021. These include SDG 2 on ending hunger, SDG 3 on good health and well being and SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation.
• But ensuring decent work (SDG 8) has become more challenging, the report showed.
• In the 2022 Global Index of SDGs, the country ranked 121 out of the 163 countries. It had ranked 117 in 2020 and 120 in 2021.
• With eight years left to meet the global goals on sustainable development, the country is off-track, the trends indicated.
• Since 2015, the report has been tracking and ranking the performance of 163 UN member states on SDGs.
• It is published by a group of independent experts at the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
• SDGs are not mentioned in the latest central or federal budget documents of India, pointed out the report based on a survey conducted in February 2022.
• India is on track to achieving SDG 13 on climate action, the report mentioned. But another report presented a grim picture.
• Preparedness to deal with climate impacts is essential to deal with climate crisis, but the country has been facing major challenges in this area, flagged The State of India’s Environment in Figures, 2022 released June 2, 2022.
• The report was based of the trends revealed in NITI Aayog’s index on SDGs.
• India’s performance on climate action — (SDG) 13 — has slipped from 2019-2020. In 2020, the country’s overall national score on SDG 13 was 54 (out of 100) — a significant dip from 60 in 2019.
• This decline in India’s overall performance is primarily due to eight states — Bihar, Telangana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Jharkhand — whose scores have dipped under SDG 13 in the two years.
• Telangana, the state which is among the top overall performers (rank three) in the country, has seen a dip in its score for climate action by 23 points.
• It is second after Bihar, whose SDG 13 performance worsened the most (by 27 points). Besides this, the performance of 27 states / Union territories remained off-track in SDG 13, according to the CSE report.
• Climate action failure is the most severe global risk in the short term and will also have the most severe impact over the next decade, the global risks report of the World Economic Forum alerted in January 2022.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

2. THE STATUS OF EVTOL: A SOON TO BE REALITY?

THE CONTEXT: The Union Civil Aviation Minister has said that the Government of India is exploring the possibility of inviting manufacturers of Electric Vertical Take off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft to set up base in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Minister had been on a visit to the U.S. and Canada in April and in his interactions with key players in the industry, it was said that several eVTOL players were ‘keen on setting up production centres’ in the country. In late May, while speaking at “India@2047”, which was part of the seventh edition of the India Ideas Conclave in Bengaluru, the Minister also said that India is in ‘conversation’ with a number ofeVTOL producers — the implication being a futuristic vision for India.

WHAT IS eVTOL?

• As the acronym suggests, an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is one that uses electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically. Most eVTOLs also use what is called as distributed electric propulsion technology which means integrating a complex propulsion system with the air frame. There are multiple motors for various functions; to increase efficiency; and to also ensure safety.
• This is technology that has grown on account of successes in electric propulsion based on progress in motor, battery, fuel cell and electronic controller technologies and also fuelled by the need for new vehicle technology that ensures urban air mobility (UAM). Thus, eVTOL is one of the newer technologies and developments in the aerospace industry.
• An article in Inside Unmanned Systems, a leading business intelligence platform, describes eVTOL as being “a runway independent technological solution” for the globe’s transportation needs. This is because it opens up new possibilities which aircraft with engines cannot carry out in areas such as manoeuvrability, efficiency and even from the environmental point of view.
• The article adds that there are an estimated 250 eVTOL concepts or more being fine-tuned to bring alive the concept of UAM. Some of these include the use of multi-rotors, fixed-wing and tilt-wing concepts backed by sensors, cameras and even radar.
• The key word here is “autonomous connectivity”. Some of these are in various test phases. There are also others undergoing test flights so as to be certified for use. In short, eVTOLs have been likened to “a third wave in an aerial revolution”; the first being the advent of commercial flying, and the second, the age of helicopters.
• An article in Avionics International says the roles eVTOLs adopt depends on battery technology and the limits of onboard electric power. Power is required during the key phases of flight such as take off, landing and flight (especially in high wind conditions).
• There is also the important factor of weight. BAE Systems, for example, is looking at formats using a variety of Lithium batteries. Nano Diamond Batteries is looking at “Diamond Nuclear Voltaic (DNV) technology” using minute amounts of carbon-14 nuclear waste encased in layered industrial diamonds to create self-charging batteries.
• There are some industry experts who are questioning the use of only batteries and are looking at hybrid technologies such as hydrogen cells and batteries depending on the flight mission. There is even one that uses a gas-powered generator that powers a small aircraft engine, in turn charging the battery system. But whatever the technology, there will be very stringent checks and certification requirements.

What are the challenges?

• As the technology so far is a mix of unpiloted and piloted aircraft, the areas in focus include “crash prevention systems”. These use cameras, radar, GPS (global positioning system) and infrared scanners. There are also issues such as ensuring safety in case of power plant or rotor failure. Aircraft protection from cyber attacks is another area of focus.
• A third area is in navigation and flight safety and the use of technology when operating in difficult terrain, unsafe operating environments and also bad weather.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. 75% OF RIVER MONITORING STATIONS REPORT HEAVY METAL POLLUTION: CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Three out of every four river monitoring stations in India posted alarming levels of heavy toxic metals such as lead, iron, nickel, cadmium, arsenic, chromium and copper. In about a fourth of the monitoring stations, which are spread across 117 rivers and tributaries, high levels of two or more toxic metals were reported.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Of the 33 monitoring stations in Ganga, 10 had high levels of contaminants. The river, which is the focus of the Centre’s Namami Gange mission, has high levels of lead, iron, nickel, cadmium and arsenic, according to the State of Environment Report 2022 from the environmental NGO, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The report is an annual compendium of environment-development data and is derived from public sources.
• India has 764 river quality monitoring stations across 28 states. Of these, the Central Water Commission tested water samples from 688 stations for heavy metals between August 2018 and December 2020.
• Of the 588 water quality stations monitored for pollution, total coliform and biochemical oxygen demand were high in 239 and 88 stations across 21 States – an indicator of poor wastewater treatment from industry, agriculture and domestic households.
• India dumps 72% of its sewage waste without treatment. Ten States do not treat their sewage at all, as per the Central Pollution Control Board.
• Over a third of India’s coastline that is spread across 6,907 km saw some degree of erosion between 1990 and 2018.
• West Bengal is the worst hit with over 60% of its shoreline under erosion. The reasons for coastal erosion include increase in frequency of cyclones and sea level rise and anthropogenic activities such as construction of harbours, beach mining and building of dams.
• While the global average of the Ocean Health Index, a measure that looks at how sustainably humans. are exploiting ocean resources, has improved between 2012 and 2021, India’s score in the index has declined over the same period, the CSE report underlines.
• India’s total forest cover has registered a little over a 0.5% increase between 2017 and 2021 though most of the increase has taken place in the open forest category, which includes commercial plantations. This has happened at the cost of moderately dense forest, which is normally the area closest to human habitations. At the same time, very dense forests, which absorb maximum carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, occupy just 3% of total forest cover.
• India has a forest cover of 77.53 million hectares. But recorded forests—the area under the forest department— with forest cover are only 51.66 million. This gap of 25.87 million hectares —a size bigger than Uttar Pradesh— remains unaccounted, the organisation noted.

4.INDIA ACHIEVED 10% ETHANOL BLENDING TARGET

THE CONTEXT: India has achieved the target of blending 10 per cent ethanol in petrol five months ahead of schedule, resulting in less carbon emissions, more savings for the country and better income for farmers.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The 10 per cent ethanol blending target has resulted in three major advantages. First, it has resulted in the reduction of 27 lakh tonnes of carbon emissions; second, PM added, India has managed to save over Rs 41,000 crore over an eight-year period; and lastly, “the farmers of the country have earned more than Rs 40,000 crore” during this period.
• India is also working towards minimising its dependence on fossil fuels. “To meet our energy needs from renewable sources, we are working on increasingly bigger goals. We had set a target of achieving 40 per cent of our installed power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel-based sources. India has achieved this target 9 years ahead of schedule. Today our solar energy capacity has increased about 18 times.
• While the global average for carbon emissions is four tonnes per person, PM said, the per capita carbon footprint for Indians is only around half a tonne per year. “Despite this, India is working towards the environment with a holistic approach, not only within the country but also by engaging with the global community,” he pointed out and mentioned that “India has also resolved… (to) achieve the target of Net Zero by the year 2070.”
• Speaking on the agricultural policy, PM said earlier farmers lacked information about the type of soil they were working on and its deficiencies. “To overcome this problem, a huge campaign was launched to give soil health cards to farmers in the country.”
• over 22 crore soil health cards have been given across the country, and a huge network for soil testing has also been create .Crores of farmers of the country are using fertilizers and micro-nutrients on the basis of information received from the Soil Health Card which has resulted in saving 8 to 10 per cent in cost to farmers and an increase of five to six per cent in yield.
• Natural farming, is a “great solution to our challenges today” and the government will encourage it in villages situated on the banks of the Ganga and “build a huge corridor for natural farming… our fields will not only be chemical-free, the Namami Gange campaign will also get new strength. India is also working on the target of restoring 26 million hectares of barren land by 2030.”

5. WORLD’S FIRST FISHING CAT CENSUS DONE IN CHILIKA

THE CONTEXT: The Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, has 176 fishing cats, according to a census conducted by Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project (TFCP).

THE EXPLANATION:

• This is the world’s first population estimation of the fishing cat, which has been conducted outside the protected area network.
• According to CDA, the estimation was conducted in two phases. Phase-I was conducted in 2021 in the 115 sq km marshland present in the north and north-eastern section of Chilika and its surrounding areas. Phase II was conducted in 2022 in the Parikud side along the coastal islands of Chilika.
• A total of 150 camera traps were deployed in two phases with each fixed in the field for 30 days. Spatially Explicit Capture Recapture (SECR) method was used to analyse the data.
• fishing cats are globally threatened cats that occur in wetlands like marshlands, mangroves and flooded forests in major South and Southeast Asian River basins starting from Indus in Pakistan till Mekong in Vietnam and in the island nations of Sri Lanka and Java.
• They are found in 10 Asian countries but have remained undetected in Vietnam and Java since the last decade or so.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6. CHINESE ASTRONAUTS ENTER TIANGONG SPACE STATION MODULE AFTER SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH

THE CONTEXT: China’s strategically significant space station project entered the final phase on 5^th of june as three astronauts entered its orbiting module after they were successfully launched to complete its construction this year to further the Communist giant’s dream to emerge as a major space power.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Hours after they were launched into the designated orbit by the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft, which later docked with orbiting module of the space station called Tianhe and cargo crafts attached to it, the three astronauts, successfully entered for a six-month stay, during which they will be completing its remaining construction, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
• Earlier in the day, the spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China. Minutes later, the official at the ground control declared the mission a great success, saying the spacecraft has reached its designated orbit.
• Once ready, China will be the only country to own a space station. The International Space Station (ISS) of Russia is a collaborative project of several countries.
• The China Space Station (CSS) is also expected to be a competitor to the ISS built by Russia. Observers say that the CSS may become the sole space station to remain in orbit once the aging ISS retires in the coming years.
• The significant feature of China’s under-construction space station is its two robotic arms, especially the long one over which the US has previously expressed concern over its ability to grab objects including satellites from space.
• The 10-metre-long arm was in action previously seen in action successfully grabbing and moving a 20 tonne Tianzhou-2 cargo ship in a test, according to China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).
• One of the noteworthy tasks for the Shenzhou-14 crew is to test and operate the large and small mechanical arms.
• The core module is mounted with a big mechanical arm, and the Wentian lab module with a small one, Huang Weifen, the chief designer of the China manned space programme’s astronaut system.
• The small arm is quite flexible and can perform operations with greater precision.
• During the Shenzhou-14 mission, the crew will, for the first time, be aided by the small mechanical arm to get out of the space station, Huang said.
• During their stay in orbit, the Shenzhou-14 crew will witness the two lab modules, Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship dock with the core module Tianhe.
• They will rotate with the Shenzhou-15 crew in orbit and return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in December.
• China began constructing its three-module space station in April 2021 with the launch of Tianhe – the first and biggest of the station’s three modules.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 5^TH & 6^TH JUNE 2022

Q1. Consider the following pairs:

1. Chang’e-4 – Moon probe of China
2. Tianwen-1 – Space station of China
3. Tiangong-1 – Mars probe of China

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

a) Only one pair

b) Only two pairs

c) Only three pairs

d) All of them

ANSWER FOR THE 4^TH JUNE

Answer: A

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: ESZs are transition areas around the protected areas of National parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Environment (Protection) Act 1986 does not mention about ESZs.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: They can be up to 10 Kms around the protected areas

[WpProQuiz 238]

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. CONTROL AND DELETE: ON GOVERNMENT APPELLATE PANELS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

THE CONTEXT: The Government’s plan to set up a panel that can overturn content moderation decisions made by social media platforms is problematic in many ways. The idea, which has been proposed as an amendment to the controversial IT Rules, 2021, is to constitute one or more appellate committees which will have the final word on any content moderation issue facing a social media platform.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The trigger for these Government-appointed committees to come to life will be, say, an appeal by a social media user who feels aggrieved by an order of the platform’s grievance officer. “Government policies and rulemaking are committed to ensure an open, safe, and trusted and accountable Internet for its users.
• As Internet access continues to rapidly expand in India, new issues related to the above commitments also keep emerging,” the draft reportedly says. It will be naive to think of such an aggrieved user as someone who has no axe to grind. With billions of users, social media is well and truly an influencing machine, and filled with influencers of all hues and shades. It is, therefore, important for democracy’s sake that it is not taken over by any one influential player, even if it is the Government, with an agenda
• But this is exactly what the mechanism will help to serve — tighten the Government’s grip on messaging on social media intermediaries, which not long ago served to disseminate alternative voices. Imagine how absurd it will be, for instance, if a Government-appointed committee sits to decide on an issue in which the aggrieved user is a Government entity or a ruling party member.
• How fair can that be? What makes it worse is in recent years, the Government has not covered itself with glory when dealing with dissent, in the real world and on social media. This will not only add another layer of complexity to the problematic IT rules that were introduced last year but also another lever of Government control.
• The IT rules were widely criticised, including by this newspaper as “deeply unsettling” for the kind of leverage that they give to the Government over digital channels, with troubling implications for freedom of expression and right to information. Ironically, they were launched by the then-Minister as a “soft-touch oversight mechanism”. It should be noted that the last word has not been said on those rules, what with pending legal challenges to them.
• All this is not to say that social media platforms should not be regulated. Far from it. What should be clear after all these years is that a Government committee is not the right answer for many woes, let alone social media ones. And in this case, it comes with dangerous implications for free speech. It is best, therefore, that the proposal is dropped.

2. WHAT IS THE PM CARES SCHEME FOR CHILDREN WHO LOST PARENTS TO COVID?

THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister released benefits like scholarships and health insurance under the PM CARES for Children scheme to support children who lost their parents due to coronavirus during the pandemic.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In February this year, a study in The Lancet had estimated the number of such children in India to be around 19 lakhs. This was termed as “sophisticated trickery” by the Ministry for Women and Child Development (MoWCD), which said the number was close to 1.53 lakh.
• PM CARES for Children was launched in May 2021 to ensure rehabilitation and education of children who lost caregivers to Covid between March 11, 2020, when Covid-19 was declared as a pandemic by the WHO, and February 28, 2022. The scheme applies to children who have lost both parents or a surviving parent or legal guardians/adoptive parents, to ensure their rehabilitation and education.
• Funded by PM Cares and with MoWCD at its nodal agency in the Centre, the scheme will provide a monthly stipend to each child from the age of 18 years, and a lump sum amount of Rs 10 lakh on attaining the age of 23. The Prime Minister said the benefits also include an annual scholarship of Rs 20,000 for school students and monthly financial support of Rs 4,000 for daily needs.
• Health coverage will be given through the Ayushman Card, and counselling through the Samvad helpline for psychological and emotional help.
• Different guidelines have been mentioned for the care of children under different age brackets.
• Till six years of age, children will receive support from Anganwadi services for supplementary nutrition, pre-school education.
• For children below 10 years of age, admission shall be provided in any nearest school – government/government-aided school/KendriyaVidyalayas (KVs)/ private schools – as a day scholar.
• In private schools, tuition fees will be exempted. The scheme will also utilise existing schemes and programmes. For instance, two sets of free uniform and textbooks shall be provided under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
• Additionally, the scheme will help place the orphaned children either in the care of relatives and family, or with Child Care Institutions (CCIs), or in a Sainik School, Navodaya Vidyalaya, or other residential schools. CCIs are centres for children in need of care or in conflict with the law, and are mentioned under the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. GRADUAL ENGAGEMENT: ON INDIA-TALIBAN TIES

THE CONTEXT: India should maintain with Afghanistan a policy of gradual engagement rooted in realism

THE EXPLANATION:

• India’s decision to send a diplomatic delegation to Kabul to meet with Taliban officials shows a marked difference from the policy New Delhi took in the 1990s when the Sunni Islamist group was in power in Afghanistan. Back then, India had taken a policy of disengagement with Kabul and supported anti-Taliban militias.
• But this time, Afghanistan’s internal situation and the regional dynamics seem to be different, prompting many neighboring countries to adopt a more constructive line towards the Taliban regime, despite their differences with the group’s extremism. India shuttered its embassy in Kabul in August 2021, days before the Taliban takeover, but has maintained a line of communication with them.
• The MEA has said that the visit is only to help coordinate India’s humanitarian assistance for the Afghanistan people. While it could be true, the visit would also pave the way for better understanding and engagement given the bad blood in the past. India has three main concerns when it comes to the Taliban’s return to Afghanistan. One, India has made investments worth billions of dollars in the past 20 years. It would want to protect these investments and retain the Afghan people’s goodwill.
• Two, when the Taliban were in power in the 1990s, Afghanistan became a safe haven for anti-India terrorist groups. India also saw a sharp rise in violence in Kashmir during the Mujahideen-Taliban reigns of Afghanistan.
• New Delhi would not like history to repeat itself and would want commitments from the Taliban that they would not offer support for anti-India groups. Three, the Taliban remaining a Pakistani satellite forever is not in India’s strategic interest.
• New Delhi cannot pursue any of these objectives if it does not engage with the Taliban. But, at the same time, India should not hurry in to offer diplomatic recognition to the Taliban’s predominantly Pashtun, men-only regime, which has imposed harsh restrictions on women at home.
• India should work with other regional and global players to push the Taliban to adopt a more inclusive regime, while at the same time maintaining a policy of gradual bilateral engagement rooted in realism.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

4. NEW RULES SPUR OPPORTUNITIES FOR E-WASTE RECYCLERS

THE CONTEXT: Last month, the Union environment ministry unveiled a set of draft rules that further incentivises registered electronic waste recyclers. The crucial difference from the 2016 rules is the generation of EPR, or Extended Producer Responsibility, certificates.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Over the next five years, Delhi-NCR-headquartered Attero Recycling, one of India’s largest electronic waste management companies, expects to invest close to $1 billion in expanding their electronic waste recycling facilities.
• More than 70% of it is for setting up operations in Europe, the United States and Indonesia to recycle lithium-ion batteries premised on the increasing share of electric vehicles in the years ahead.
• The CEO of the company says that while lithium batteries may be the future for the company, the present is hinged on the growing number of electronic wastes that his factory in Roorkee is processing. Credit, he says, is due to the mandatory recycling targets that electronics-goods makers have been set under the Electronic Waste Management Rules, 2016. From 30% of sales in 2018, companies are expected to recycle 70% of their sales by 2023.
• Prior to the EPR regime, recyclers like us had to pay to procure e-waste. We extract the precious metals and sell them. The informal recyclers use hazardous methods and therefore were able to do this at a lower cost. Even if their recovery (of metals) was low, their costs were low and so profitable, now with the EPR regime, it’s Original Equipment Manufacturers who are paying for recycling and a lot more is collected in the formal sector.
• Recyclers on processing a certain quantity of waste would be given a certificate verifying this number by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Electronics goods companies can buy these certificates online from the CPCB to meet their annual targets. Recyclers can also directly contract with a company to recycle a certain quantity of waste and generate certificates that can be accessed from the CPCB.
• The challenge is verifiability. How for instance, does the CPCB verify that the certificates indeed guarantee the quantity of e-waste recycled? Prior to the EPR scheme, state pollution control boards were expected to be conducting checks on recycler and monitoring if they were indeed processing the amount of waste they claimed. In the new regime, said Gupta, this verification would be done via “software matching.” A recycling company would be paying a certain amount of Goods and Services Tax (GST) annually based on the quantity of precious metal they’ had extracted and sold, said Gupta, and this would correlate to the amount of e-waste processed. This could be further matched with the certificates bought by a producer company to meet targets.
• The latest e-waste rules are yet to be formally become law and the Environment Ministry has set a 60 day-period for public consultation.
• Independent experts say that verifying the actual quantity recycled is next to impossible because none of the data—how many electronic goods were sold in a particular year and how much e-waste is generated and how much recycled—is available in public domain.
• The CPCB said that in 2019-20, 1 million tons of e-waste was generated, 22% of which was “collected, dismantled, recycled”.
• The Global E-Waste Monitor reports that nearly 3 million tons of electronic waste was generated in India, which is thrice the Centre’s estimates.
• “A company if asked how many mobile phones it sold in a year would at most share a figure in kilograms and not units. This is information that is supposed to be shared with the CPCB but practically the figure is unavailable. So, there’s no transparency on whether a company is ensuring that a percentage of its sales is being actually recycled. In our own surveys, we’ve seen that companies never physically visit a recycler.”
• The EPR regime was generally positive and helped smaller recycling companies who couldn’t directly bag large recycling contracts from large producers but there were lacunae. “Because companies only have annual targets, the finance team would only want to buy permits at the end of the financial year.
• However, we need to recycle through the year. Where would we get working capital for that? Therefore, it’s advisable to have monthly recycling targets.

5.KEEP ECO-SENSITIVE ZONE OF 1 KM AROUND FORESTS: SUPREME COURT

THE CONTEXT: Environment Ministry guidelines show that the purpose of declaring ESZs around national parks, forests and sanctuaries is to create some kind of a “shock absorber” for the protected areas.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Supreme Court on Friday directed that every protected forest, national park and wildlife sanctuary across the country should have a mandatory eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of a minimum one km starting from their demarcated boundaries.
• Environment Ministry guidelines show that the purpose of declaring ESZs around national parks, forests and sanctuaries is to create some kind of a “shock absorber” for the protected areas. These zones would act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to those involving lesser protection.
• A three-judge Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao, B.R. Gavai and Aniruddha Bose, in a 60-page judgment, highlighted how the nation’s natural resources have been for years ravaged by mining and other activities.
• The judgment, by Justice Bose, observed that the government should not confine its role to that of a “facilitator” of economic activities for the “immediate upliftment of the fortunes of the State”.
• The State also has to act as a trustee for the benefit of the general public in relation to the natural resources so that sustainable development could be achieved in the long term.
• “Such a role of the State is more relevant today, than, possibly, at any point of time in history with the threat of climate catastrophe resulting from global warming looming large,” Justice Bose wrote for the Bench.
• The judgment came on a petition instituted for the protection of forest lands in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, the scope of that writ petition was enlarged by the court so as to protect such natural resources throughout the country.
• In a series of directions, the court held that in case any national park or protected forest already has a buffer zone extending beyond one km, that would prevail. In case the question of the extent of buffer zone was pending a statutory decision, then the court’s direction to maintain the one-km safety zone would be applicable until a final decision is arrived at under the law.
• The court directed that “mining within the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries shall not be permitted”.
• It held the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Home Secretaries of States responsible for the compliance of the judgment.The Principal Chief Conservator for each State and the Union Territory has also been directed to make a list of subsisting structures within the ESZs and submit reports to the apex court in three months.

6.URGENT NEED TO DEVELOP ADAPTATION OPTIONS FOR WATER AND AGRICULTURE SECTORS

THE CONTEXT: Rains towards the end of the southwest monsoon in India in 2021 were unusual: a very large part of the country experienced the second wettest September since 1994.  In eight states in central, western, and northwestern India, the excess rain ranged from 70% above average in Odisha to 268% above the average in Gujarat.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In the previous year, 2020, rains were average or above average in almost the entire country. Going back further, 2014, 2015 and 2016 were marked by generally below-average rains; before that, there were above average rains in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
• Such dry and wet epochs, each lasting several years to a decade, have occurred in the Indian subcontinent for at least the last 700 years. Some of the dry epochs caused mega-droughts, resulting in famines that killed millions of people, and catalysed mass migrations within and out of the subcontinent.
• Climate information recorded in trees over the last 300 years, ocean temperature and continental rain data in the last 50 to 100 years, and more recent climate models show that, worldwide, dry/wet epochs are caused primarily in 10-20-year-long decadal cycles in tropical-subtropical Pacific Ocean surface temperatures. These in turn are due to the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) – also known as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).
• Decadal cycles in tropical-subtropical ocean temperatures are caused by large-scale interactions among winds, ocean currents and waves, and heat and water vapour transfers from oceans to the atmosphere.
• In the positive phase of an IPO cycle, the tropical-subtropical Pacific surface temperatures are warmer than average. As a result, there is below-average rain in central, western and northwestern India. In the negative phase of the IPO cycle, there is above-average rain in these regions.
• The IPO/PDO was generally in the negative phase of the cycle in the wet epochs (2010-2013 and 2020-2021) and in the positive phase in the dry epoch (2014-2016). The IPO is still in the negative phase of the cycle in 2022, so we should expect the Indian monsoon to be average to above-average.
• The IPO’s effects on the atmosphere and Indian monsoon rain also affect crop output, especially in regions of non-irrigated crops. Fifty years’ (1961-2010) worth of data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation shows that annual productions of rice, soybean, corn (maize), cashew nuts, orange, millet, cotton, barley and some other major, non-irrigated crops are substantially below average in the positive phases of the IPO, as should be expected.
• Apart from people and crops, natural ecosystems also fare poorly in both types of epochs. Especially in dry epochs, millions of milch and draft animals such as buffaloes, cows, goats and camels suffer due to shortages of fodder and forage.
• While such consequences of the IPO and other natural variable climate phenomena are bad enough, India’s long-term water quantity and quality situations are truly alarming.
• A 2018 report by NITI Aayog stated that India is currently facing its worst water crisis in history, with 600 million people facing high to extreme water stress, and 200,000 people dying every year due to inadequate access to safe water.
• The report also stated that by 2030, projected water demand would be double the available supply, implying permanent water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and a 6% drop in India’s GDP. It pointed to an imminent need to deepen understanding of India’s water resources and use, and for the government to intervene to make water use efficient and sustainable.
• But as if this and other projections were not alarming enough, the report overlooked current and projected effects of climate variability and changes in their projections of India’s water situation.
• Data from tree rings indicates that the duration and severity of droughts have decreased substantially in the last 100 to 150 years. Since these droughts were caused by natural climatic variations, it seems likely that mega-droughts will return to the Indian subcontinent in future – and will be exacerbated by climate change. Then, there are the projected effects of climate change due to higher concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
• In light of India’s water situation already being precarious, the government should found and permanently sustain a multidisciplinary and multi-institution programme of research and applications in weather and climate variability; potential effects of climate change; understanding and predicting societal impacts of weather changes; and development of adaptation options for all affected sectors.
• Such a programme should have the Government of India as a partner and should be housed in an academic institution of national and international repute.
• This programme will have to address adaptation issues at all levels, from national to local administrative, and must involve stakeholders, government ministries and/or departments, and NGOs in all affected sectors and regions as partners. Finally, and importantly, such a programme must report frequently to the people of the country in languages and idioms they can easily understand.
• In the absence of such a programme sustained in this way, India will almost certainly face calamities like the ones in the past – multiplied manifold by the vastly increased scale of human activity, with consequences too catastrophic to contemplate.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 4TH JUNE 2022

Q1. Consider the following statements about Eco- sensitive zone:

1. They are transition areas around the protected areas of National parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
2. They are notified under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act 1986.
3. They can be up to 20 Kms around the protected areas.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR THE 1^ST JUNE

Answer: C

Explanation:

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

• It was launched on 24^thFebruary, 2019 to supplement financial needs of land holding farmers.
• Financial benefit of Rs 6000/- per year in three equal installments, every four month is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
• The scheme was initially meant for Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) having landholding upto 2 hectares but scope of the scheme was extended to cover all landholding farmers.
• It is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% funding from the Government of India.
• It is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• Objectives:

1. To supplement the financial needs of the Small and Marginal Farmers in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income at the end of each crop cycle.
2. To protect them from falling in the clutches of moneylenders for meeting such expenses and ensure their continuance in the farming activities.

1. Don’t act under anger READ MORE
2. Why not bring God into our schools & colleges? READ MORE
3. Align with intentions READ MORE

1. What is the PM CARES scheme for children who lost parents to Covid? READ MORE
2. Academic Distress’ and Student Suicides in India: A Crisis That Needs to be Acknowledged READ MORE

1. Control and delete: On government appellate panels for social media READ MORE
2. The Digital India transformation READ MORE
3. 7 Years Later, and Still No Clarity on Green Clearance for Ganga Waterway. Why? READ MORE

1. Urgent Need to Develop Adaptation Options for Water and Agriculture Sectors READ MORE
2. Water security under threat READ MORE
3. New rules spur opportunities for e-waste recyclers READ MORE
4. Keep eco-sensitive zone of 1 km around forests: Supreme Court READ MORE
5. By laminating our oceans, we are choking life READ MORE
6. Hubballi-Ankola railway line will augur desertification, water crisis, warn experts READ MORE
7. Extreme weather events in India may be transporting more plastic litter into oceans, warn experts READ MORE
8. Stockholm+50: We need decentralisation of ‘power’ READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. The Digital India transformation READ MORE
2. How barcodes differ from radio-frequency identification tags READ MORE
3. What is the PM CARES scheme for children who lost parents to Covid? READ MORE
4. Reimagine disinvestment READ MORE
5. Control and delete: On government appellate panels for social media READ MORE

GS 1

1. Urgent Need to Develop Adaptation Options for Water and Agriculture Sectors READ MORE
2. Water security under threat READ MORE

GS 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Control and delete: On government appellate panels for social media READ MORE
2. The Digital India transformation READ MORE
3. 7 Years Later, and Still No Clarity on Green Clearance for Ganga Waterway. Why? READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. What is the PM CARES scheme for children who lost parents to Covid? READ MORE
2. Academic Distress’ and Student Suicides in India: A Crisis That Needs to be Acknowledged READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Gradual engagement: On India-Taliban ties READ MORE
2. Ukraine expects India to participate actively in post-war construction READ MORE
3. What’s Combined Military Forces-Bahrain? US-backed coalition India joined on Quad sidelines READ MORE

GS 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Level playing field READ MORE
2. Combating inflation while retaining growth momentum READ MORE
3. Reimagine disinvestment READ MORE
4. A job at hand READ MORE
5. Restaurants cannot add service charge in food bills READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. New rules spur opportunities for e-waste recyclers READ MORE
2. Keep eco-sensitive zone of 1 km around forests: Supreme Court READ MORE
3. By laminating our oceans, we are choking life READ MORE
4. Hubballi-Ankola railway line will augur desertification, water crisis, warn experts READ MORE
5. Extreme weather events in India may be transporting more plastic litter into oceans, warn experts READ MORE
6. Stockholm+50: We need decentralisation of ‘power’ READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. As India gets world’s first liquid-mirror telescope for astronomy, what is it and how will it be used? READ MORE
2. How barcodes differ from radio-frequency identification tags READ MORE

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Don’t act under anger READ MORE
2. Why not bring God into our schools & colleges? READ MORE
3. Align with intentions READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1.    Examine the causes behind India’s problem of e-waste. Also, find out the reasons due to which rules have been ineffective.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The universe will align other resources for us to taste success. Any resource we require to do anything in life is already there in the universe in some way. It is the purity of intentions that brings those resources together. If we are not confused about what we want and our actions align with our intention, we are on our way to success.
• Increasing the efficiency of water use especially in the agriculture sector is of utmost importance.
• Given the increased demand for water and declining water potential, it is necessary to make constructive efforts to increase its efficiency. Water has long been considered a free good and, therefore, water use efficiency is very low in all sectors. Although the pricing of water alone will not completely solve all water-related woes, its efficiency can be increased to a greater extent by fixing its prices on a volumetric basis.
• Of India’s total irrigated area of 98 million hectares, groundwater accounts for about 65 per cent. The reports published by the Central Groundwater Board warn that the uncontrolled overexploitation of groundwater is not only depleting water rapidly but also causes various environmental problems. Appropriate pricing of electricity with judicious rationing of electricity supply may help save water for future use.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.
• Inclusive governance begets inclusive growth.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas on maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 233]

[WpProQuiz 236]

THE SOCIAL ISSUES

1. PM RELEASES 11TH INSTALLMENT OF PM-KISAN 10 CRORE FARMERS TO GET ₹ 2000

THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister released the 11th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme in Shimla on Tuesday. Under the scheme, ₹6000 is given in three equal installments to all landholding farmer families. The Centre said it would distribute ₹21,000 crore among more than 10 crore beneficiary farmer families. Each beneficiary would get ₹2000 each in this installment.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Addressing the beneficiaries, the Prime Minister thanked the people for giving him the opportunity to serve them. He said the previous government considered corruption as an essential part of the system. He alleged that instead of fighting corruption, the then government succumbed to it and the money meant for needy people did not reach them.
• The Prime Minister maintained that vote bank politics had done a lot of damage to the country. “We are working to build a new India, not a vote bank,” he stressed. “100% empowerment means ending discrimination, eliminating recommendations, and ending appeasement. 100% empowerment means that every poor gets full benefits from government schemes,” he stated.
• The Prime Minister noted that the welfare schemes initiated by his government changed the meaning of government for people. “Now the government is working for the people. Be it PM housing schemes, scholarships, or pension schemes, with the help of technology, the scope of corruption has been minimized,” he said and asserted that the Centre was trying to give a permanent solution to the problems that were earlier assumed to be permanent. “The Direct Benefit of Transfer put an end to the injustice of pilferage and leakage by removing nine crore fake names from the benefits rolls”.
• The government started empowering the poor from day one. “We tried to reduce every single worry in his life. I can say with pride that almost every family of the country is benefitting from one or the other scheme.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

2. QUESTIONING THE SAFETY OF AADHAAR

THE CONTEXT: Two days after issuing an advisory asking people to refrain from sharing photocopies of their Aadhaar Card, the Unique Identification Development Authority of India (UIDAI) opted to withdraw the notification. It stated that the action was to avert any possibility of ‘misinterpretation’ of the (withdrawn) press release, asking people to exercise “normal prudence” in using/sharing their Aadhaar numbers.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The withdrawn notice had suggested holders use a masked Aadhaar card instead of the conventional photocopy, adding that the document must not be downloaded from a cybercafé or public computer and if done for some reason, must be permanently deleted from the system. ‘Masked Aadhaar veils the first eight digits of the twelve-digit ID with ‘XXXX’ characters. The notice informed that only entities possessing a ‘User Licence’ are permitted to seek Aadhaar for authentication purposes. Private entities like hotels or film halls cannot collect or keep copies of the identification document.
• In July 2018, Telecom Regulatory of India’s Chairman R.S. Sharma tweeted his Aadhaar number challenging users to “cause him any harm”. In response, users dug up his mobile number, PAN number, photographs, residential address and date of birth. It could not be ascertained if the PAN number was actually correct. UIDAI dismissed assertions of any data leak, arguing that most of the data was publicly available. It did however caution users from publicly sharing their Aadhaar numbers.
• The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 makes it clear that Aadhaar authentication is necessary for availing subsidies, benefits and services that are financed from the Consolidated Fund of India. In the absence of Aadhaar, the individual is to be offered an alternate and viable means of identification to ensure she/he is not deprived of the same.
• Separately, Aadhaar has been described as a preferred KYC (Know Your Customer) document but not mandatory for opening bank accounts, acquiring a new SIM or school admissions.
• The requesting entity would have to obtain the consent of the individual before collecting his/her identity and ensure that the information is only used for authentication purposes on the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR). This centralized database contains all Aadhaar numbers and the holder’s corresponding demographic and biometric information. UIDAI responds to authentication queries with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
• In some cases, basic KYC details (such as name, address, photograph, etc) accompany the verification answer ‘Yes’. The regulator does not receive or collect the holder’s bank, investment, or insurance details. Additionally, the Aadhaar Act forbids sharing Core Biometric Information (such as fingerprint, and iris scan, among other biometric attributes) for any purpose other than Aadhaar number generation and authentication.
• The Act makes it clear that confidentiality needs to be maintained and the authenticated information cannot be used for anything other than the specified purpose. More importantly, no Aadhaar number (or enclosed personal information) collected from the holder can be published, displayed, or posted publicly. Identity information or authentication records would only be liable to be produced pursuant to an order of the High Court or Supreme Court, or by someone of the Secretary rank or above in the interest of national security.
• The Aadhaar Data Vault is where all numbers collected by authentication agencies are centrally stored. Its objective is to provide a dedicated facility for the agencies to access details only on a need-to-know basis.
• Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s (CAG) latest report stipulated that UIDAI neither specified any encryption algorithm (as of October 2020) to secure the same nor a mechanism to illustrate that the entities were adhering to appropriate procedures. It relied solely on audit reports provided to them by the entities themselves. Further, UIDAI’s unstable record with biometric authentication has not helped it with de-duplication efforts, the process that ensures that each Aadhaar Number generated is unique.
• The CAG’s report stated that apart from the issue of multiple Aadhaars to the same resident, there have been instances of the same biometric data being accorded to multiple residents. As per UIDAI’s Tech Centre, nearly 4.75 lakh duplicate Aadhaar numbers were canceled as of November 2019. The regulator relies on Automated Biometric Identification Systems for taking corrective actions. The CAG concluded it was “not effective enough” in detecting the leakages and plugging them. Biometric authentications can be a cause of worry, especially for disabled and senior citizens with both the iris and fingerprints dilapidating.
• Though the UIDAI has assured that no one would be deprived of any benefits due to biometric authentication failures, the absence of an efficient technology could serve as the poignant premise for frauds to make use of their ‘databases’.
• Also, what essentially needs to be remembered is that UIDAI is dealing with the world’s second-most populous country. As of March 2021, it had generated 129.04 crore Aadhaar numbers which cover 94% of the projected population.
• The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 states that Aadhaar authentication is necessary for availing subsidies and services that are financed from the Consolidated Fund of India. However, confidentiality needs to be maintained and the authenticated information cannot be used for anything other than the specified purpose.
• The NPCI’s Aadhaar Payments Bridge (APB) and the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) facilitate direct benefit transfer (DBT) and allow individuals to use Aadhaar for payments. This requires bank accounts to be linked to Aadhaar.
• But more than 200 central and State government websites publicly displayed details of some Aadhaar beneficiaries such as their names and addresses. This means that this data could be potentially used to fraudulently link the rightful beneficiary’s Aadhaar with a distinct bank account, embezzling the beneficiary by impersonation.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. INDUS WATER TALKS HELD ON ‘CORDIAL’ TERMS: MEA

THE CONTEXT: Indian and Pakistani negotiators ended another round of talks as a part of the Indus Water Treaty on “cordial” terms,  describing the 118th meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission that took place in Delhi on May 30-31.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The MEA did not give any details on the issues that were on the agenda for discussion, including Pakistan’s request for flood-flow data sharing and objections to hydropower projects planned on “western rivers” in Jammu & Kashmir. However, it said that the annual report of the Commission for the previous year had been finalized and signed, indicating some consensus on the way forward on a number of issues that come up each year. A statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also added that India had assured response to its objections.
• According to the Indus Water agreement, Commissioners meet twice each year, alternately in India and Pakistan, a practice that was put in abeyance between 2019-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and scheduling issues.
• The talks have taken place regularly despite the two neighbors cutting off all trade and travel ties, and having pulled out High Commissioners in each other’s capitals. Since December 2015, the two countries have also not held any bilateral talks under the composite dialogue process (now called the comprehensive dialogue), and there have been no political meetings between the two governments. In September 2016, after the Uri terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quoted as telling a review meeting that “blood and water cannot flow together”, indicating a possible rupture in the water sharing talks.
• Subsequently, the government clarified that it had no intention of abrogating the treaty, but would seek to utilize waters allocated to India under the treaty more fully, setting up a special new committee to do so.
• The Indus talks, which followed just two months since the last round of the Permanent Indus Commission talks in Islamabad, also came a few weeks after another Pakistan delegation crossed over Wagah for multilateral talks on terrorism as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Regional Anti Terror Structure, leading to some speculation that ties between New Delhi and Islamabad may ease on other issues as well, given a change in government in Pakistan in April, as well as security-level back-channel talks that have been ongoing for some years and are believed to have led to the military ceasefire agreement at the Line of Control last February.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

4. Q4 GDP GROWTH DECELERATES TO 4.1%

THE CONTEXT: India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to a four-quarter low of 4.1% during the January-March period, from 5.4% in the preceding quarter, as manufacturing output shrank, provisional national income estimates released on Tuesday show. As a result, full-year growth came in at 8.7% — a tad lower than the 8.9% pace projected in February.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Gross Value-Added (GVA) in the economy is estimated to have grown 8.1% in 2021-22, slightly lower than the 8.3% projected by the National Statistical Office (NSO) earlier. The GDP had shrunk 6.6% in 2020-21, while the GVA had contracted 4.8% in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
• The Finance Ministry said the latest national income estimates ‘establish full economic recovery’ as real GDP in 2021-22 exceeded the pre-pandemic levels of 2019-20. On a quarter-to-quarter basis, it argued real GDP growth was 6.7% in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021-22, reflecting a ‘sustained growth momentum’ entering the current fiscal year.
• The contact-dependent and employment-intensive trade, hotels, transport, communication & services related to the broadcasting sector continued to languish below pre-pandemic levels, ending FY22 still 11.3% lower than 2019-20 GVA levels.
• Overall GVA growth slowed to 3.9% in the January-March 2022 quarter, from 4.7% in the preceding period. Worryingly, manufacturing sector output shrank 0.2% from a year earlier. This was the first contraction in factories’ output since the massive 31.5% fall in the first quarter of 2020-21 amid the strict national lockdowns.
• Economists pointed out that real GDP was only ‘a subdued’ 1.5% higher than pre-COVID levels and ascribed the lower than projected full-year growth to the effects of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, high commodity prices, and inflation as well as data corrections for the first half of the year.
• A downward revision in growth rates for the first two quarters of 2021-22 also affected the full year’s growth rate vis-à-vis the last estimates released on February 28. The 20.3% GDP growth estimated earlier for Q1 was pared to 20.1%, while the same number was revised to 8.4% from 8.5% for Q2.
• Chief Economic Advisor V. AnanthaNageswaran said the real GDP numbers were pretty much in line with earlier estimates, so it was difficult to make the argument that the growth rate was lower than anticipated earlier.
• For the full year, GVA from agriculture and the financial, real estate & professional services sectors, the only two sectors that grew in 2020-21, rose by 3% and 4.2% in 2021-22, compared with 3.3% and 2.2% in the previous year, respectively.
• Five major segments of economic activity recorded GVA growth of about 10% or more in the last fiscal, compared with sharp contractions in 2020-21, led by public administration, defense & other services whose GVA rose 12.6% from 5.5% a year earlier.
• GVA from mining and quarrying as well as construction, which had contracted 8.6% and 7.3% in 2020-21, bounced back to clock 11.5% growth in 2021-22. GVA from trade grew 11.1% from a steep 20.2% fall in 2020-21, while manufacturing GVA rose 9.9% from a 0.6% drop the previous year.
• The Finance Ministry highlighted that the investment rate in the economy rose to 33.6% in Q4, the highest since Q3 of 2019-20. Moreover, though the manufacturing sector shrank from a year earlier, it grew sequentially at 14.2% during Q4, it pointed out.
• Going forward, interest rate hikes would start impacting real GDP towards the end of this fiscal year, but growth could get a leg-up from ‘a strong bounce-back in contact-based services’.But headwinds from slower global growth and higher oil prices have tilted the risks downwards to our forecast of 7.3% for 2022-23.
• Managing the troika of growth, inflation and fiscal balance was the top challenge for India’s policymakers but emphasized that India was better off than several developed countries with respect to inflation as well as other global headwinds that threaten growth.
• Dismissing concerns of interest rate increases impacting growth,“In general, interest rates becoming normal may not necessarily be an anti-growth move if they are coming from a very low rate. The price of credit should reflect the demand for credit and the central bank’s confidence in raising rates reflects the belief that the recovery is taking root.

5. FAST GROWTH IS STILL ON, BUT INFLATION

THE CONTEXT: An anticipated slowdown in the last quarter still kept India on track to be the fastest-growing major economy in 2021-22.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on the gross domestic product (GDP) on Tuesday showed growth slowing to 4.1% in January-March. But this did not significantly alter the full year’s number, which was revised to 8.7% from the projection of 8.9% in February.
• All demand components – consumption, investment, and exports – are now above pre-pandemic levels, although the picture is clouded by persistent NSE -0.55 % inflation, an interest rate upcycle, and a ballooning imported energy bill. Sectorally, agriculture growth moderated, and industry and services – except contact-sensitive sectors – have climbed out of the trough.
  The sequential slowdown in growth from 20.3% in the first quarter of 2021-22 through 8.5% in the second and 5.4% in the third, before reaching 4.1% in the last quarter, is expected to be reinforced as the low base effect of the prior year is withdrawn and fresh supply disruptions affect commodity, food and fuel prices. Manufacturing contracted in January-March, although it posted a smart recovery for the full year. Labour-soaking agriculture and construction saw a sequential acceleration. Government expenditure propped up services growth in the last quarter.
• India’s recovery from the pandemic is now complete in terms of national income accounts. The revival of capital formation could have sustained the growth trajectory if the external environment were benign, which it is not. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in April lowered its estimate of the current fiscal year’s GDP growth from 7.8% to 7.2%, and there is a likelihood of a further downward revision at its next review of monetary policy in June as it pushes the policy interest rate closer to its pre-pandemic level.
• A favorable monsoon alongside concerted fiscal intervention to stabilize retail inflation – which reached an eight-year high of 7.8% in April – could temper the monetary tightening that is expected to slow down the economy.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

6. 50 YEARS SINCE STOCKHOLM CONFERENCE: THE SUMMER LINGERS

THE CONTEXT: From June 5 to June 16, 1972, countries across the world shed a bit of their sovereignty. The aim was to create a common governance structure for the planet’s environment and natural resources.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The occasion was the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, the first such worldwide convergence on the planetary environment, with the theme ‘Only One Earth’.
• When the participating 122 countries — 70 of them developing and poor countries — adopted the Stockholm Declaration on June 16, they essentially committed to 26 principles and an action plan that set in a multilateral environmental regime.
• One of the overarching principles was that sovereignty should be subject to not causing harm to the environment of other countries as well.
• This was the first globally subscribed document that recognized the “interconnections between development, poverty and the environment.”
• These principles were celebrated as a harbinger of “new behavior and responsibility which must govern their relationship in the environmental era”.
• To put it in another way, the planet’s environment and natural resources became a common resource with countries resetting their relationship with nature — from sovereignty over resources to shared responsibility for their sustainable uses.
• The three dimensions of this conference were: Countries agreeing not to “harm each other’s environment or the areas beyond national jurisdiction”; an action plan to study the threat to Earth’s environment, and the establishment of an international body called the UN Environment programme (UNEP) to bring in cooperation among countries.
• The Stockholm conference was historic, not just for being the first one on the planetary environment.
• Until 1972, no country had an environment ministry. Norwegian delegates returned from the conference to set up a ministry for the environment the host Sweden took a few more weeks to do so.
• India set up its ministry of environment and forest in 1985. The UN charter never had the environment as a domain to deal with. So, the first global conference on the environment happened when the environment was not a subject of importance for any country or global concern.
• In 1968, when Sweden first proposed the idea of the Stockholm conference (this is why it was referred to as the Swedish Initiative), cases of environmental degradation and hints of a meltdown of the planet’s atmospheric system had started making news.
• Acid rains were being reported; Rachel Carson’s now-famous book Silent Spring was just six-years-old but attained biblical status in terms of readership and impact on public consciousness. Species extinction made headlines, like that of the humpback whales and Bengal tigers; the mercury poisoning caused by methylmercury release into the Minamata Bay in Japan entered public discourse.
• In the UN General Assembly in 1968, for the first time climate change was discussed using emerging scientific evidence. Though it was still not believable, in 1965, the then US president Lyndon B Johnson’s Science Advisory Committee came out with the report, Restoring the Quality of Our Environment, which was definitive on the role of human-emitted carbon dioxide (CO2) to atmospheric warming
• The Stockholm conference indeed started the contemporary “environmental era”. In many ways, it made multilateral governance of planetary concerns mainstream. This led to more than 500 multilateral environmental agreements being adopted in the last 50 years.
• Most of today’s conventions related to planetary crises like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the whole environmental regime being implemented through the UN system trace their origin to the Stockholm Declaration.
• Since that summer in Stockholm half a century ago, nobody has lived a normal month climate-wise. In April 2017, scientists from Climate Central, an international association of scientists and journalists reporting and researching climate change, released a stunning chart depicting a monthly temperature rise since 1880.

Stockholm 2022

• The world is all tuned in to the Stockholm+50, to be held in the same city in June, but with a vastly changed planet, notwithstanding the rooting of the multilateral environmental regime.
• On June 2-3, world leaders will not discuss how the past half-century was, but how the next 50 years would be treated with emergency actions. It is also aptly themed as “Stockholm+50: A healthy planet for the prosperity of all — our responsibility, our opportunity.”
• If the Stockholm conference could accord some time to all, the current one comes without a deadline, as time has already run out.
• Since the “environmental era” started, there are no signs of a restrain on our relationship with nature. UN data circulated to commemorate Stockholm+50 showed that trade has increased gone up 10 times, the global economy has grown five times and the world population has doubled.
• “Human development is largely fuelled by a tripling in the extraction of natural resources, food production, and energy production and consumption over the past 50 years,” says an advance draft copy of the document to be discussed at Stockholm+50.
• The UNEP’ Inclusive Wealth Report 2018 had said:

During 1990-to 2014, produced capital grew at an average annual rate of 3.8 percent, while health- and education-induced human capital grew at 2.1 percent. Meanwhile, natural capital decreased at an annual rate of 0.7 percent.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 1ST JUNE 2022

Q1. Which of the following statements about the PM-KISAN Scheme:

1. It provides a financial benefit of Rs 6000/- per year in three equal installments to only Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs).
2. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
3. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR THE 31^ST MAY

Answer: B

Explanation:

• PM CARES scheme for children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic covers all children who have lost both parents, the lone surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive parent or parents, due to COVID-19 after March 11, 2020. The scheme has been extended till February 28, 2022. The scheme was earlier valid till December 31, 2021.
• To avail the scheme, a child should not have turned 18 on the date of death of his or her parents.
• Education aid: The scheme announced on May 29, 2021, provides gap funding for education and health and a monthly stipend from the age of 18 years, apart from a lump sum amount of ₹10 lakh when a beneficiary turns 23 years old.
• All children will be enrolled as a beneficiary under Ayushman Bharat Scheme (PM-JAY) with a health insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakhs.

Ministry of Women and Child Development shall be the nodal Ministry for the execution of the scheme at the central level. Department of Women and Child Development or Department of Social Justice in the State/UT Government, dealing with the Child Protection Services scheme in the State/UT shall be the nodal agency at the State level. The District Magistrates (DM) shall be the nodal authority at the District level for the execution of the scheme.

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